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Hand-made pottery is predominantly a woman's art in West Bengal. Women of
Kumbhakar (potter) caste and of Patua caste generally make variety of dolls and
toys. These hand made figures, small dolls and toys are done by pressing
and moulding methods. In Bishnupur (Bankura), Chaurigacha - Katalia (Kandi
- Murshidabad) and some other places in Midnapore and Bankura the most primitive
method of hand-modeled pottery is still pursued almost
exclusively by women.
In West Bengal big jars are usually prepared by men and comparatively small pots
are made by women. Clay modeling by hand is widely practised by the
women of Patidar Chitrakar (Painters) castes. In Bankura Midnapore,
Birbhum
and some areas of Howrah, Hooghly and Murshidabad districts, women of Kumbhakar
and Patidar- Chitrakar are engaged in making hand - modeled pottery as part time occupation. The women of Sankhari
(conchshell
carvers) families in
Bishnupur (Bankura) make clay figurines of mother-dolls at a
particular time of the year, especially for ritual purposes. Two principle
variants of West Bengal Pottery are Bankura-style and Krishnanagar-style.
Some important and interesting items are :-
Mangalghat
Mangalghat is a kind of small vase which is commonly used all over Bengal
in all kinds of rituals. In birth initiation and marriage ceremonies, in
the festivals and rituals of all Gods and Goddesses these auspicious vases of
various shapes and sizes are counted as essential requisites. These are
mostly painted.
Lakshmi Ghat
These are auspicious vase of the Goddess of wealth. There is fairly a
large variety of Lakshmi-ghat in West Bengal, mostly done in pairs, one for
Lakshmi and another for Ganesh. Of these, Tamluk Lakshmi - ghats are most
decorative and beautiful. Lakshmi's face is shaped on the upper fringe of the
vase, with sharply drawn eyes and crest and the trunk of Ganesh in the other
vase is also fine. In Raghunathbari, the vases are placed like bowls on an
earthen stand which looks like a wine-cup. The Jhargram type, is the
simplest one with a little long neck marked with two dots for eyes. It has
a look of tribal simplicity.
Manasa - Ghat (Bari)
The most conspicuous type of
Manasa ghat is found in Bankura and Garbeta area of Midnapur. Based on earthen jars turned upside down, the face of the
serpant-Goddess, along with the
attached snake-hoods, give the vase a peculiar
shape and form. The number of snake-hoods varies from one, three, five, seven, to
more than hundred arranged in ascending tiers according to the size of the vase.
Tulsimancha
One of the finest unique specimens of potter's craft is the Tulsimancha
of Midnapore. Tulsimancha is generally a raised pedestal, either
brick-built or earthen. The terracotta tub - like Tulsimancha with
decorative motifs (mainly of Gods and Goddesses) are hardly found outside
Midnapore.
The terracotta Tulsimanchas are rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal in shape and
the average size varies from 3feet to 4feet in height and 1.5 to 2 feet in
diameter. In each side of the pot, the images of Radha-Krishna and other
Gods and Goddesses are separately fixed in medium relief. The curved
borders of all sides are beautifully decorated. Both the upper and lower
sides of the Mancha are obviously open and the lower side which is placed on
the ground, is much wider that the upper side. It may be placed on the ground
anywhere and filled with earth. Then a tulsi plant or any other small
plant may be planted on it.
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